In October, Catholic educators, school and university administrators, and educational researchers from around the nation will gather for a three-day invitational conference titled “The Catholic Identity of Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools.”

There will be lectures, panel discussions, and small-group conversations on topics such as what Catholic school administrators and teachers understand about the Catholic identity of schools; what constitutes evidence of Catholic identity; and how Catholic institutions of higher education can support Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the area of Catholic identity.

The speakers will include Most Rev. David M. O’Connell, C.M., bishop of Trenton; Catholic University President John Garvey; St. John’s University President Rev. Donald Harrington, C.M.; Thomas Burnford, secretary for education for the Archdiocese of Washington; Monsignor John Enzler, president and chief executive officer of Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Washington; and others.

The event begins on Oct. 2 at 4 p.m., with Mass at the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The celebrant will be Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington and chancellor of Catholic University. The conference concludes on Oct. 4 at 2p.m.

The sessions on Monday and Tuesday are open to the Catholic University community.